When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

"The passage of time does not prevent the effective prosecution of sexual offences, and an increasing number of cases referred to the CPS by police feature allegations of a non-recent nature," says a spokesman for the CPS.

They have a team of specialist prosecutors who are trained to deal carefully with sexual allegations.

Recent years have seen victims of sexual offences bravely come forward and help to prosecute their attackers in historic cases.

Here are the sickening Kent sex offenders jailed so far this year.

Dennis O'Rourke - downloaded indecent images of children

Dennis O'Rourke (Image: Kent Police)

A sex offender from Maidstone who downloaded indecent images of children using free WiFi for shoppers has been jailed.

Derek O'Rourke connected his phone to the internet at various destinations in the town centre and when the device was seized by police it was found to contain a catalogue of videos and images depicting abuse.

The 57-year-old was arrested after officers attended his home address in Fairmeadow, Maidstone on 13 March 2018.

A search of the property led to the discovery of the phone, which when forensically examined was found to contain 29 images and videos, of which 15 were classed in the most serious category.

He was charged with four counts of possessing of an indecent photograph or pseudo image of a child.

He was sentenced on October 31 to one year and eight months imprisonment and will continue to be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Michael McCarthy - sexual offences against teenage girl

A Canterbury man has been jailed for five-years after admitting a string of sexual offences against a teenage girl.

Michael McCarthy, 46, was arrested at his home in St Thomas Hill on Tuesday 21 May 2019 after his crimes were brought to the attention of Kent Police

He was later charged and pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of sexual communications with a child, and two counts relating to the taking/making of indecent images of a child.

The offences were committed between May 2018 and May 2019.

Investigating officer PC Jay Wood said: "Michael McCarthy took advantage of a vulnerable teenage girl for his own sexual gratification and has quite rightly received a custodial sentence for his actions."

McCarthy was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on August 12.

He will also be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order.

George Wenlock - raped a woman twice

This rapist has been locked up behind bars after he raped a woman twice.

Even though his victim told him on several occasions his advances were unwelcome, he ignored her and raped her twice at an address in Gillingham in November 2018.

Wenlock will also appear on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and was made the subject of a 10 year restraining order.

Detective Inspector Dan Rance, the senior investigating officer for the case, said: "Standing up against a man who has subjected you to the most abhorrent of offences is an incredibly difficult and intrusive process to go through.

"I commend this lady for the courage she has shown."

David Jarman - raped a teenager

A pensioner who committed rape 30 years ago has been sentenced to nine and half years’ imprisonment.

David Jarman, of Mountbatten Court, Littlehampton was convicted of raping a teenager in Chatham between 1989 and 1992.

The incident was reported to Kent Police in March 2017.

The 76-year-old pleaded not guilty to the offence but the jury convicted him and he was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on 22 October 2019.

Jarman will be on the Sexual Offenders Register for life.

Luke Stimson - repeatedly abused a child

A child sex offender was sentenced to almost a decade in prison after repeatedly abusing a child.

Luke Stimson, of Coopers Lane in Fordcombe near Tunbridge Wells, was arrested after allegations were reported to Kent Police in December 2017.

The 40-year-old's phone was seized and was found to contain a number of illegal images which had been shared through a messaging app.

At Maidstone Crown Court, Stimson pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and one of sexual assault by penetration.

He also admitted counts of taking indecent images of a child and sharing indecent images of a child.

On July 18, he was sentenced to nine years and ten months behind bars.

He was also made subject of sexual harm prevention order for ten years and added to the sex offenders’ registers indefinitely.

During police interview, Stimson blamed a dependency on alcohol for his actions - which took place between 2014 and 2017 - and referred to the abuse as "silly mistakes".

Judge Philip Statman praised the courage shown by the victim in coming forward and also commended Detective Sergeant Lisa Featherstone, of the West Kent Vulnerable Investigation Team, who he said had left "no stone unturned".

DS Featherstone said: "Stimson repeatedly abused a vulnerable child for his own gratification, but has continually sought to diminish the gravity of his offences by dismissing them as mishaps and misunderstandings.

"In reality, the damage these type of offences cause is incalculable, leaving victims having to live with these memories for the rest of their lives.

"Successful convictions such as this are just one of the reasons we continue to urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse to contact the police.

"It is never too late to report any sexual offence and we will always treat any information with the upmost confidence and sensitivity."

Emily Sweetland - sexually assaulted young girls

In the first case, on April 3, she inappropriately touched two girls on a train, then went on to commit a series of sexual assaults on young girls across the city centre on April 5.

She pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assaults and one count of sexually assaulting a child under 13.

On June 22 at Canterbury Crown Court, she was jailed for three years.

Tesfit Brhane and Hayleab Brhane - raped woman at a house

Two men have been jailed for more than eight years after raping a woman at a house in Canterbury.

Tesfit Brhane, 19, and Hayleab Brhane, 20, were seen on CCTV getting into a taxi with the victim near to Canterbury East Station after leading her away from the city centre during the early hours on June 3, 2018.

The victim, in her early twenties, was taken to a house in Downs Road where they carried out their attack. Following her ordeal she ran from the address, where she collapsed on the street and was found by a member of the public who called the emergency services.

Kent Police officers attended the scene where Hayleab was arrested at the property. Tesfit had left the address but handed himself into a police station in London on June 8, 2018 after officers released a picture of him, appealing for information on his identity and whereabouts. He was also arrested.

Despite both men denying charges of rape, they were found guilty following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court on June 13, 2019 and sentenced at the same court on August 21, 2019 to eight years and six months each.

Samuel Crabtree - sexually assaulted woman in underpass

Samuel Crabtree was jailed for 15 years on the September 27 on rape charges

Crabtree's attack happened in the early hours of Sunday July 14, 2019, in an underpass at the junction of Dock road in Chatham.

After following his victim, Crabtree subjected his victim to a prolonged sexual assault before his victim could escape.

Crabtree fled the scene and was picked up by a taxi driver nearby.

At the time the driver had no knowledge of what Crabtree had done but later came forward to give evidence against him.

Crabtree was arrested on the day of his offence and pleaded guilty to the charges.

Shane Baldwin - raped woman in her sleep

Shane Baldwin committed the sexual assault at a private address in May 2017 and told a series of lies that changed when he was presented with new evidence.

The 31-year-old, of Goldcrest Drive, Chatham, denied rape but was found guilty following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court, which concluded on August 30, 2019. He was sentenced at the same court on October 11.

The court heard the victim was sleeping in the spare room of a Chatham property when Baldwin, who was staying in another room, raped her in her sleep.

In custody Baldwin denied the offence and initially said he was too drunk to remember what happened.

He then claimed he spent the night in separate room, apart from briefly going to the toilet and returning to his bed via the room the woman was sleeping in.

As he did this he accidently tripped and fell onto her bed. He denied having any sexual contact.

Forensic evidence proved he had given a false account and when he was interviewed for a second time he claimed his DNA was found on the victim because she was given pyjamas he had previously worn.

Mark Stanford - raped a child

Mark Stanford, 55, subjected a young child to sexual abuse, including rape.

Standford repeatedly abused the victim between 1999 and 2002.

An investigation was launched after the victim reported the abuse in May 2016 and he was charged with two counts of rape, six counts of indecent assault and a further count of gross indecency with a child.

Stanford, of St Peter’s Street, Maidstone, denied the charges but was found guilty of all counts by a jury and on June 13 at Maidstone Crown Court, was jailed for 18 years, with a further four years to be served on a licence.

He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Alec Rivers - breached sexual offences order

A Folkestone man was jailed for four years after being found guilty of breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

Alec Rivers, 49, of Firs Lane, was released from prison in 2011 after serving a sentence for sexually assaulting a child.

This meant he was not permitted to work with children, attempt to have any contact with anyone under the age of 18 unless their parents or guardians were present or live in a house where any children reside.

He was also regularly visited by police officers.

In July 2018, officers became aware that Rivers had been attempting to spend time with children.

The victim's parents told police that they had refused his requests to watch and play football with their boys between May 2015 and November 2016.

Rivers was arrested in August 2018 and denied the eight charges of breaching the order after attempting to meet the boys unsupervised.

Kevin O'Driscoll - milkman stalked and sexually assaulted woman

Kevin O'Driscoll, described by a judge as a 'manipulative and dangerous liar' was handed an extended sentence for public protection.

He must therefore serve at least two-thirds of the jail term before even being considered for release. A further two years will then be added to any licence period.

A court heard he confronted his victim outside her bedroom door, having pestered her for several months.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, described him as 'peculiar' and told a court she was so frightened by his 'creepy' behaviour on earlier occasions that she began keeping notes.

A court heard she even bravely confronted 49-year-old O'Driscoll to tell him to his face he was a stalker.

But events escalated when, having warned him she would report him to police if he did not leave her alone, O'Driscoll replied: "Right, now I'm going to do something about you."

Two days later he broke into her house and subjected her to a terrifying ordeal, leaving her fearing for her life, Maidstone Crown Court was told.

O'Driscoll, from Leysdown in Sheerness, denied stalking between September 1, 2017 and May 29 last year but changed his plea to guilty a day after the victim had given evidence at his trial in December.

He admitted additional charges of trespassing with intent to commit a sexual offence, and sexual assault.

However, O'Driscoll, who also worked as an odd-job man, denied assault by beating and attempted rape. This was accepted by the prosecution.

He was sentenced to eight years in jail and will spend an extra two years on license when his custodial sentence is completed.

Onimisi Seidu - raped a child four times

A rapist who fled the country to avoid a trial 12 years ago has been jailed for 15 years.

Onimisi Seidu, from Chatham, raped a child on four occasions between 2002 and 2006.

He failed to attend a trial at Maidstone Crown Court in 2007 and was arrested at Heathrow Airport on March 24, 2019 while he was trying to re-enter the United Kingdom.

The 47-year-old, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody following his arrest and admitted all four offences during an appearance at Maidstone Crown Court on April 1.

He has been held on remand since and was sentenced at the same court on May 10.

In addition to his custodial sentence, Seidu will be on a one year extended licence upon his release and the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Kristian Petik - filmed teenage girl in sex act

Kristian Petik, 19, was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court on May 9 after he pleaded guilty to one count of taking an indecent image of a child and three counts of distributing an indecent image of a child.

He took the image on March 19, 2018 and then shared it on social media between March 19 and 25.

Petik of Chamberlain Road, Chatham, was jailed for a total of four years and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for six years.

Stephen Madge - repeatedly abused a teenage boy

A Sevenoaks man who repeatedly abused a child more than 20 years ago has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Stephen Madge was convicted of six counts of indecent assault after targeting a teenage boy during the 1990s.

Allegations of abuse were first made to Kent Police in November 2014, when it was reported that Madge, aged 62, had been responsible for multiple offences during his involvement with a charity project.

Madge was said to have developed an obsession with the victim, who he came into contact with in 1993. During that year he repeatedly abused him.

Officers arrested him at his home in Bradbourne Vale Road, Sevenoaks, in May 2015. Despite denials of any wrongdoing Madge was charged with six counts of indecent assault.

He pleaded not guilty and the case went to trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

A jury unanimously found Madge guilty on all counts.

He was sentenced on May 7, 2019 to six years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of a further year. Madge was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order and added to the sex offenders register, both for indefinite terms.

A violent attacker who stalked a woman before violently sexually assaulting her in a Chatham alleyway has been jailed.

The offender who attempted to rape the woman as she was walking alone has been sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison.

Edmas Milto stalked the woman for almost a mile before carrying out the serious sexual assault as she walked through an alleyway in July 2018.

The 24-year-old, of Canterbury Street in Gillingham, pleaded guilty to attempted rape and assault and was sentenced at the same court on Friday (July 26).

The court heard that shortly after 2.50am on July 24 last year Milto grabbed the woman as she walked in an alleyway in Haig Avenue.

A violent and prolonged assault then took place, during which he attempted to rape her.

The incident was captured on CCTV and after the attack officers were able to track Milto’s movements through Medway to the general area of his home address.

Following extensive patrols in that area, Milto was detained when an officer saw him and recognised him from the CCTV images.

Detective Inspector Kaye Braybrook, the senior investigating officer for this case, said: "Milto subjected the victim to an extremely violent and degrading attack and his actions clearly show him to be a serious danger to women.

"The investigation team were able to build a strong case against him with the support of the victim who has shown such bravery in how she is dealing with this life changing attack.

"He will now spend a substantial amount of time in custody, where he is unable to cause further harm to the public."

O'Keefe, aged 27, and who now lives in Wroxham, Norfolk, admitted to attempting sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity between January 11 and April 4 last year.

He was sentenced to a year in prison on January 25 and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years, barred from working with children, and must also sign on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.